Legend of Zelda players are having nightmares about Tears of the Kingdom’s Gloom Hands

With Tears of the Kingdom now having arrived, the lucky Legend of Zelda fans who didn’t have prior commitments have spent the majority of the last few days relentlessly exploring the picturesque plains of Hyrule.

Regardless of how you chose to pass the time while waiting for Nintendo’s latest release to drop or what you’ve thought of the overall experience it offers so far, odds are the array of fuse-compatible items and interesting activities on offer will keep you entertained for a good while.

While lots of players seem to have been dedicating the majority of their time with the game using their fuse powers to create everything from autonomous attack drones to working lawnmowers, those who’ve elected to try and progress through its main quest seem to be having trouble overcoming their fear of one enemy in particular.

How have you fared in your encounters with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s Gloom Hands so far?

Warning: spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom may lie ahead

Their appendage-based apprehension forms the subject of a recent thread on the subreddit r/zelda, which user Bob_the_Peanut kicked off by sharing a meme emphasising their fear of Gloom Hands (referred to as Gloom Spawn by the game) and captioning it: “I cannot describe to you the insurmountable fear and panic I felt first coming across these nightmares.”

Many fellow Hylian warriors seem to have had the same experience battling the malevolent mitts, with user Cameron728003 saying: “I rarely get scared in any sort of video game, but something was different about (encountering these). My heart rate exploded and I ran (away) instantly, not knowing what to do. Wish there were more enemies like (them).”

Similarly, user HypnoFerret95 recounted: “(My) first experience (with one) was in a random cave (and I) only (had) five hearts. It was not a good time,” while a bunch of those sharing equally analogous tales suggested that the main thing that makes the hands so disconcerting to fight is their surprising movement speed.

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Meanwhile, user delecti revealed: “They're terrifying, but they're not that hard to kill if you maintain (the high ground) over it and shoot it with bomb arrows,” adding: “Be careful (though), because (sometimes things) get worse when you kill one.”

Thankfully for those who want to avoid being terrified while playing Tears of the Kingdom, other recent threads in the subreddit suggest that it also contains plenty of circumstances that can make you feel spoiled for choice or like a Looney Tunes villain instead.

Regardless of how you’re dealing with the worst terrors the Ganondorf has at his disposal in Tears of the Kingdom, make sure to follow us for a bunch of helpful guides that can aid your adventures in Hyrule by showing you how to find the secret Gerudo shop, grab a Hylian shield, or unlock skyview towers.